Tom Watson

Tom spent the last 20 years in the world of maintenance — the first half on the plant floor, the second half writing about it. As a mechanical engineer, he worked across heavy manufacturing environments for a decade, managing assets, fighting unplanned downtime, and learning firsthand why the right maintenance system is the difference between a plant that runs and one that doesn't. Tom used CMMS platforms under real operational pressure — not in a demo environment — and he knows exactly what maintenance managers, reliability engineers, and technicians actually need from them. For the last 10 years, Tom has channelled that hands-on experience into writing that helps maintenance professionals cut through the noise. He writes about CMMS selection, implementation, preventive maintenance strategy, asset management, and the metrics that matter — MTBF, MTTR, OEE, and beyond. His work is read by plant managers and maintenance directors who need practical guidance, not generic software marketing.